Blackie

Well the Eagle F1s have always been touted as one of the best high performance tyres and are famous for having great wet weather traction, although some of the latest tyres these days seem to pip it for ultimate road holding.

I had Toyo T1-S back when I had my '01 MX-5 and they were great for the $$$. The sidewall I must admit felt a bit softer but running a higher pressure compensated for that. The tread was also quite durable.

My friend's RX-8 wearing the OEM rubber seemed to stand up well after a day at DECA last weekend. My OEM S-02s on my S2000 however where absolutely shot. Orange peels on the edges, feathering and blistering from the centre out. These tyres were of a softer compound though and they were nearing the end of their life anyway. I think the harsh gravel of the double figure 8 loop at DECA saw the end of them ultimately. I have put on new Toyo RA-1s now.

takahashi

Blackie where about in Melbourne are you... I am also having a black RX8

Sport Cup.... ic... it is still street legal. Do you know how much it is ??

RichardM

Guys, have a look at the Yokohama A539.

I have them on my 323 as well as my VX SS.

The stock Bridgestone 530 SS tyres are very similar to the Bridgestone 040s and I found the A539 a big improvement in grip, wear and noise.

I got 33,000kms out of the 530s and am now up to 32,000kms on the A539s and they look to have at least another 10,000kms in them.

Blackie

I live a couple of minutes from the city. I don't actually have an RX-8 and my car's white.... my friend has an RX-8 that's black however, if that validates my username

Pilot Sport Cups are street legal although I don't know how they are on the street. R compounds are usually very noisy and harder to turn the wheel at street speeds. The RX-8 being the relatively quiet car it is already, you will really notice the droning noise these tyres will have on the highway.

They also wear a lot faster than the normal high performance tyres due to their softer compound and if the tread is worn a little then I'd be very wary of any standing water. I got a quote for my sizes and they were $1800+. For the RX-8 on your 18" rims I would imagine well over $2500 for the set, plus they would probably only last 7000km-20000km before they need replacing (depending on how hard you drive and how many track days you do).

rpm_pwr

I've tried playing with the pressure (around 41psi at the moment) but still no luck. You're right they're a tough tyre, I'm going back to QR this weekend to try and kill them so I can get something else, but they always seem to survive. They do seem to overheat pretty quickly on the track, but hey that's QLD for you.

-pete

Blackie

Yes they certainly are tough aren't they? They did start overheating and generally squirming their **** off after a couple of hot laps but that's a compromise that most street performance tyres have to put up with. I usually ran them at 38psi cold for the track and I wasn't too concerned with the softer sidewall. It was a compromise between track and street after all. I still don't understand how hard it is to make a road flat in this country.

timbo

Guys

This is becoming a most informative post.

I was thinking about Yokohama A539's, which I have used before with good results. But, should I go 245/40 -- I think that will keep me close to the same diameter and rolling size as 225/45s?

I do too many highway Ks to go for the softer R compound

Blackie

You will only be slightly lower in sidewall height, but bear in mind your speedo will be reading just a tad faster than normal but nothing too drastic. Check this link to calculate your tyre/wheel size changes. http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc

RichardM

From this tyre size calculator.
I'm happy with the A539 and will buy again.

NickG

Some moons ago I had the Eagle F1's on my VR6 Golf. They were noticeably inferior in every respect to the Proxes T1-s and more so to the Bridgestone SO2's I also ran on that vehicle. I think the F1 has however been redesigned a year or two ago - maybe it's a better bet now.

One nice thing about the SO2 and SO3 is that they don't seem to drastically lose wet grip as they wear. I guess the dual tread compound must be something to do with it.

timbo

Thanks Richard

That's a great site. I guess the next issue in moving to 245's is guard clearance

BTW, the 8 has 18" rims

Edit: Just looked at the Miata site Blackie recommended -- shows width relative to stock -- 245s should be fine.

Tim

dbb

I've always been happy with the Toyo Proxes. Nice and soft and sticky. Wear isn't fantastic, but there is always a trade off.

They do a 225/40ZR18 92WRD in the Proxes T1-S. These ones are great for aquaplaning protection and high speed stability. Great value, but prone to touch of tramlining - but probably no more than the OEM Potenzas. Maybe a little over $300 each if you shop around.

The other I might consider is the Toyo RA1, but I probably don't need competition spec racing tyres - and I don't need to pay $450+ a tyre.

RichardM

And your point is? :D

timbo

Dsylexia relus, ko, but I thought the chart above had 17s

timbo

Just looked at the Yokohama site and discovered the A539 doesn't come in 18". Back to drawing board

RichardM

It did. I edited the web page.

Bummer about no 18" A539 though.

What is the URL for the Aus Yokohama site? I've been unable to find one.
Check with a dealer re 18". Web sites can be very out of date.

timbo

I thought you did -- then decided my eyes were playing tricks on me

http://www.yokohama.com.au

yes, I did think it may be out of date, so may check with a dealer over the weekend

takahashi

Why would you change to your stock tyre to another similar range and performance for roughly the same price - if there is no siginificant improvement it is just a waste of money.

Therefore I will change it to either P Zero or Michellin Cup Sport... or just keep the Potenzas. In my opinion it is silly to change to 4 Toyo if the rear wears out.

thklam

I'm sorry, one stupid question for me~:p

as everyone saying that change it to a 245/40 tyres, do we acutually have to change the rims as well? Since the tyre is wider than the stock.

takahashi

No I think we can easily get away with 245 in a 8 inch wide rim. I checked with the tyre guy... someone punch in the computer to see how much difference (if at all) b/n 225/45 and 245/40?

Gomez

If you want your insurance to stay valid, a wheel change may be req'd!!

The Tyrepower I went to yesterday (fitted a pair of P6's onto the Pug) said that 245's on an 8in rim were ill eagle....

There's a spanner....

Gomez

racerdave

There are plenty of people in the US using 245/40/18s. An 8-inch rim is more than sufficient for a 245. Illegal? I find that hard to believe. Here's some pics of 245s on an 8...

https://www.rx8club.com/showthread.p...=245%2F40%2F18

Gomez

It's a local thing RD, there is a maximum allowable percentage increase in width over whats shown fitted as std on the tyre placard....not sure what the limit is though....some-one here will know...

Gomez

racerdave

Ah, I see.

It's a rule that simply maintains that a replacement tire be XX-% within size of the original.

Sigh... burueacrats...



My point was merely that an 8-inch wheel is more than sufficient width-wise for a 245. Purely from a technical standpoint.

timbo

Oh! I'll check it out with my dealer